


Snowbound

by Glass_Oceans



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bedsharing, Cabin trip, M/M, Modern AU, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Only One Bed, Rescue, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-20 15:49:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glass_Oceans/pseuds/Glass_Oceans
Summary: Finn's suggestion of a weekend away in a luxury woodland cabin sounded just perfect... until Hux's bad temper left both him and Kylo stranded. With the snow coming down, and tempers heating up, Kylo and Hux need to find shelter and even worse, they need to talk...





	Snowbound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kalika_999](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/gifts).



> This is my Fandom Trumps Hate fic fill for kalika_999, and I had such fun writing it! I hope you love it too!

“He’s not human.”

“Mmm,” Phasma replied. “Definitely some kind of alien.”

“How much coffee did you give him this morning?” Poe asked.

“Guuuys, come on!” Finn stopped where’d be walked along the trail ahead of them all, stopping with hands planted on his hips. He began to scurry back down, grabbing Rey by the hand to try and drag her along faster. “You’re all taking so long!”

“It’s barely gone past midday,” Rey said between giggles, “we have plenty of time to get there yet.”

“But you need to be in place to see the view,” Finn said, grabbing Poe’s hand to drag them both as he reversed up the trail. “The sunset from this place is spectacular.”

“Buddy,” Poe said as he tried to match his new pace to Finn’s, “sunset isn’t for hours yet either.”

“I’m excited ok! I’m glad you guys are making this trip with me.”

“Yeah, we picked up on the excitement,” Poe said, freeing his hand to clap Finn on the shoulder. “But we’ll make it, ok.”

Finn looked between Rey and Poe, both of whom were smiling back at him. He sighed, letting go of their hands. “Alright, yeah, we can go at a slow pace if you really need to.”

“Need to?”

“Yeah, I understand, you’re getting older, you’re slowing down…”

“I’ll show you old.”

Poe took off racing up the track, Finn in hot pursuit while Rey almost doubled over laughing. She only straightened up when Phasma caught up to her and helped her stand. 

“Shall we see if we need to break that up?”

“We probably should,” she said, holding her side. 

They started chatting as they walked, leaving Kylo to trail behind them. There was still a chill in the air, with snow still lining the path they were walking along, and deeper drifts in the shade of the evergreens, but the sun was bright and the air held the promise of spring. Kylo breathed deeply as he walked along, listening to the conversation from ahead in contentment, but mindful of the silence from behind him, his steps began to slow, and he stopped, turning on the path to wait for the last member of their group. 

Hux had been trailing behind them all morning, sullen and quiet. He hadn’t held them up, having his backpack ready and into his assigned seat in Poe’s station wagon while the rest of them were still chasing their last few items, but he’d barely said a word to anyone. And now, with his feet dragging, Kylo was starting to wonder how much he really wanted to be here. He watched Hux as he caught up, though Hux never lifted his eyes from the path. 

“You doing ok there?”

“Fine,” Hux said as he passed him. 

It was an unfortunate side effect of Hux’s coloration that even this small effort was leaving him red faced, skin flushed and hair darkened as his temples where sweat had gathered. Any other time Kylo might have teased him for it, but he could feel something brittle between them today, and he was reluctant to provoke it. He resumed walking, keeping pace with Hux, though from the darkening of his face even that seemed to annoy him. He said nothing as they walked, busied himself with looking out at the treeline and trying to spot the birds that he heard calling between the branches. 

“Oh for heaven’s sake, are you two what’s holding us up?”

Kylo’s head snapped round to see Finn descending towards them. Of them all, he had the most experience on this trail, but that was no reason for him to have the energy to have done almost double the distance of them all this morning alone. 

“Am I going to have to carry you up?”

Kylo held out his hands, trying to temper down some of Finn’s enthusiasm. 

“Finn, don’t-”

“Just leave it ok,” Hux snapped. 

Up ahead, Rey and Phasma stopped and turned back, Rey’s face blank with shock from Hux’s tone. 

“I don’t bloody well need everyone fussing about me like this,” Hux said, adjusting the strap of his rucksack. “I know I’m slow thanks, but I can do this on my own. Just let me.”

“Ok, alright, sorry mate,” Finn said, backing away with his hands held up. “I was only trying to help.”

He turned around, walking fast until he caught up with the girls, Rey putting an arm around his shoulders as they left the other two behind. Kylo said nothing as Hux continued to fuss with his already perfectly set up rucksack, watching as the others continued up the trail and around a bend until they were hidden by brush. He turned back to watch Hux, feeling his own temper rising. 

“Seriously, what is up with you today?”

Hux stopped, and glared up at Kylo. “What?”

“That,” Kylo said, gesturing up the path. “I’ve never seen you take the head off Finn like that before.”

“He annoys me,” Hux mumbled, tugging at his pack.

“Yeah, sure, all of the pep squad annoy you. I annoy you. We all know that. But that was something else.”

Hux slipped his pack off, letting it hit the ground at his feet. He squatted down beside it, opening it up to rearrange the contents. He unpacked several items, moving clothing to the back to stop the harder items from digging into his back. 

“Hux? Are you ignoring me now?”

“Not successfully,” Hux muttered.

“Fine. You know what? You want to be on your own, then it’s your call. I’ll see you at the cabin.”

Kylo took off, not looking back at Hux and his belongings scattered on the path. He took long strides, and before long he caught a glimpse of Phasma’s platinum hair up ahead, and a little ahead of her the rest of the squad. He slowed down a little then, still catching up to them, but wanting to be slower to give Hux a chance to catch up. A chance to maybe talk to Kylo before they went inside. Maybe when he’d had a little time to cool off he might actually say what was really bothering him. 

“How much further?” he heard Rey call as he got closer. 

“We’re, like, so close now,” Finn said, all but vibrating with trying to keep himself to their pace. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

“It better,” Phasma said, swinging her head to take in Kylo as he caught up to her. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How’s Grumpy Pants doing?”

“Oh, you know, grumpy.”

“Shocking.”

Kylo huffed a laugh, and fell into rhythm beside Phasma. He couldn’t help the niggling feeling in his gut though, and kept twisting to look down the path. There was still no sign of Hux. He got more worried the further they went, he really should have caught up to them by now. Unless he’d doubled back to the car. But with the keys in Poe’s jacket pocket, that wasn’t going to do him any good…

“You’re going to break your neck if you keep doing that.”

“I know,” Kylo replied, still looking down the trail. “I just…”

“Here.”

Kylo stopped against the gentle pressure of Phasma’s hand against his chest. She lifted one of the straps of Kylo’s backpack. 

“You sure?” he asked. She nodded and he slipped out of the pack, stepping back as she swung it up onto her shoulder. 

“You know the way?” she asked. 

“Yeah, just another five minutes that way,” he said, nodding after Finn. 

“Then I’ll drag your pack up there, and you can drag Mr. Sunshine up with you. Deal?”

“Deal. Thanks Phasma.”

“No worries. Go on, git.”

She swiped playfully towards him, a swing that he ducked easily as he started jogging back down the trail. Phasma watched him go before turning and slogging the last part of the trail to catch up with the others. 

True to his word, Finn hadn’t been wrong about the cabin, though it really didn’t deserve to be called that. This was a luxury set-up. She followed them through the wide doorway, depositing both Kylo’s and her own backpack on the polished hardwood floors. Her mouth had already dropped open when she joined the others at the wall of windows that gave them an unobstructed view of the valley and mountains beyond. 

“This.. Finn, this is stunning!”

“I know, right?”

Finn was the only one of them looking away from the window, grinning at his friends awestruck expressions. The windows always had the same reaction on everyone who came here, and he wanted to give them time to take in their fill. They hadn’t even seen the rest of the place yet. 

After a few minutes, he stepped back, picking up his own backpack again. 

“You guys want to see the bedrooms?”

“Ooh, yes please!” Rey said, her pack still in place on her shoulders. 

“Ok, all the bedrooms share a bathroom, so keep that in mind if you get up in the middle of the night.”

“And make sure you’re getting back into the right bed, kiddos,” Poe added with a wink. 

Rey giggled, Phasma rolled her eyes, but they all followed Finn as he opened the doors to each of the bedrooms, showing the luxury wide beds, already made up with fluffy pillows and piles of blankets. He showed them how the shower controls worked too, so they each deposited their bags on their claimed beds and followed Finn on the tour. 

“And this one is for… where’s Kylo?”

“He went back for Hux,” Phasma said. 

“I hope they’re ok,” Rey said, looking to her. 

“They’re fine,” she said, pulling the smaller girl into a one armed hug. “Trust me, this is something they need to sort out.”

* * *

Without the weight of the pack of his back, Kylo was much faster descending the trail, even opening up his jacket a little so he didn’t overheat as his long stride turned into a lopping run. To his surprise, he found Hux not far from where he’d left him earlier. 

“Hey Hux, everything ok?”

Hux said nothing, his face as dark as thunder as he walked past Kylo without a word. Kylo reached out to him, only to have Hux snap his arm away from Kylo’s touch. 

“What is your problem?”

“Nothing.”

“No, there’s definitely something wrong with you,” Kylo said, stepping ahead of Hux and planting himself in his path. “Earlier I thought you were just cranky with the early hour or not having your coffee or something. But now I think you actually have a problem with someone, and that someone is me.”

Hux sighed heavily and moved past Kylo, hitting his shoulder as he pushed past. 

“Get over yourself.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Kylo said, reaching out and grabbing the strap of Hux’s bag. 

“Let go.”

“No.”

“Fucking asshole, let go!”

Hux swung around, twisting the bag in Kylo’s grip and almost wrenching the bag off his own shoulders. He glared at Kylo with pure venom, before taking off down the trail. 

“Do you always have to be such an asshole,” he said, his voice carrying clearly for all that he was walking quickly away. 

Kylo shook himself and jogged after him. 

“You can’t just let it go, can you.”

“I don’t even know what it is,” he protested. “You’re just being a little pissbaby.”

“Oh that’s fucking rich,” Hux spat, lip lifted up in a sneer. 

“And you’re still saying you don’t have a problem with me?”

Hux didn’t respond to that, but hunkered his head down between his shoulders, and stomped along the path. Kylo followed along, glaring daggers at his back, but unwilling to let him get out of sight after coming back down the trail for him.

* * *

“You can wait just as well over heeerrreeee.”

Phasma smiled and rolled her eyes at Rey’s gentle teasing, but she didn’t move away from the small window in the cabin’s front door. 

“I just thought they would have caught up by now, you know?”

“Maybe they’re still sorting things out, like you said,” Finn suggested. 

“Maybe one of them is digging a shallow grave right now,” Poe muttered into his hot chocolate, before being swiped at by Rey. “Careful,” he said to her, holding one hand against the side of the mug to prevent the marshmallows from sloshing over the side. 

“Phas, it’s ok, there’s plenty of light left, and Kylo knows the way up here.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Phasma said reluctantly, finally turning away from the door and allowing Rey to guide her to a seat beside her on the couch. Rey handed her a large mug of still warm hot chocolate, a half dozen mini marshmallows still floating valiantly at the surface. 

“Just try to relax,” Rey said, rubbing her back. 

“I’ll be happier when I know they’re safe,” she said, but she leaned into Rey’s touch, eventually letting herself sit back against the sofa, relaxing into the cushions.

* * *

Kylo wasn’t sure how long he’d spent following behind Hux, glaring at a spot approximately dead centre between his shoulder blades, if his backpack hadn’t been in the way. Hux was making a point of walking ahead of him, not saying a word and doing his best to not even acknowledge him, so Kylo was returning the favour by keeping on his heels, forcing Hux to a slightly breathless pace if he wanted to keep Kylo away. 

It was a plan that was as brilliant as it was stupid, though neither were willing to acknowledge it until the temperature dropped. Kylo stopped first, looking up at the overcast sky through the branches above them, Hux stopped a few moments later, once he realised Kylo was no longer dogging his heels. 

“You felt that too?”

“Yeah,” Kylo said, checking his phone. “It’s not late enough for dusk.”

Hux took a step back towards him. “Then what-”

He stopped as the wind shook the tree tops above them, releasing a fresh flurry of snow down on their heads, with more falling rapidly. 

“Oh shit. We need to get to the cabin.”

“Which way do we go?”

Kylo felt a cold rush through his body as he realised he had been entirely too intent on hating Hux as they walked. 

“Kylo? Which way?”

“I... um… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Hey, you don’t know the way either.”

“I haven’t been there before.”

“Neither have I! I turned back because someone was sulking!”

Hux’s face darkened, and he made to turn away before sighing and facing Kylo again. 

“We can’t argue right now. We’re going to have to find shelter.”

“Or, you know, we could call the others, get our bearing…” Kylo said as he pulled his phone back out. He held it in his hand, staring intently at the screen, before lifting it above his head, swiping at the snowflakes that tried to fall into his eyes as he squinted at the screen. 

“Well?”

“There’s no signal.”

“Crap,” Hux said, fishing his own phone out. “I’ve got nothing either.”

Kylo sighed, looking both ways down the trail. Snow was already starting to build up on the path, adding to the drifts that lay under the shelter of the trees. He hastily zipped up his jacket again. 

“Ever built a shelter before?”

“No, but I’ve been in your pillow forts before, so that’s not an option.”

“Harsh.”

Hux turned and started walking on down the trail, further from the way they had come. 

“You’re not… going back?”

“We’ve been that way, we know there’s nothing there.”

“Except the car.”

“Presuming we’d even be able to find the right trail back to the car.”

Kylo ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as he felt snowflakes melting and cursing that he hadn’t thought to bring a hat. But then he hadn’t expected to be outside for so long. 

“Now would have been an excellent time for breadcrumbs.”

“They’d already be under the snow.”

Kylo rolled his eyes, but followed Hux. He threw looks back over his shoulder occasionally, watching how their footprints were slowly filling up and disappearing behind them. He licked his lips, starting to feel nervous. 

“There!”

He caught up to Hux, following where he was pointing. A small cabin, possibly a hunter’s rest, and one that had most definitely seen better days, but it was an indoors of sorts and right now it was their best option. They hurried along to the cabin, testing the door. It was unlocked but stiff, groaning in protest as Kylo leaned against it. The hinges screeched as the door opened wide enough for them both to squeeze in, and Kylo pushed it back into place, before anything more than a few snowflakes could join them inside. 

The cabin was musty, but dry, with a layer of dust on most of the surfaces. Whoever owned this place hadn’t been here for some time. The rickety door blocked out the worst of the cold, but Kylo knew that it wouldn’t be enough for long. He looked about the room, taking in Hux’s subtle shivers. He hadn’t had the right clothes for hiking, none of them had really, expecting to just be walking the short distance to Finn’s uncle’s cabin. But they hadn’t expected to get caught in a late snowstorm either. 

The cabin was small, the largest room turned out to be the one they had entered by. A camp bed that had seen better days was leaning against one wall, and on inspection seemed to be creaky but still sturdy enough. A second small room - little more than a closet - held a chemical toilet that Kylo was reluctant to inspect further. There was no closets or trunks within the room that might have held a stash of blankets, and so he was left hoping that Hux had a sleeping bag or something in his backpack that they could share if they ended up being here for that long. For now, he wanted to find something that would help to take the chill out of the room. 

He opened the doors of the one small cupboard that the shack held, searching for anything that might be useful. 

The upper shelf was thick and greasy with dirt which clung to his fingers and turned them black. There were a few torn packets that looked like rodents had gotten to them, otherwise the shelf was bare. He wiped his fingers against his trousers as he bent down to go through the lower shelf. 

Success! He pulled out a campers stove, shaking the gas canister. It was less than half full, but it was something. At least they could heat a little water, and that would help to keep them warm. He reached back into the cupboard, hoping for matches or something to light the stove with, but he found only a battered pot, the handle falling off in his hand. He sighed heavily, thinking his luck had run out when Hux’s hand was thrust in front of him. 

“Here,” Hux said, holding out a lighter to Kylo. 

Kylo frowned at the lighter suspiciously. “I thought you quit.”

Hux raised one disparaging eyebrow in response. “That’s what you’re going to argue about right now?”

Kylo took the lighter with a huff, setting the stove on the floor and turning on the gas. It lit easily and he set the pot on top of the flame. 

“Do you have any water?”

Hux glanced towards the door, and the snow that was building up on the panes of glass in the room’s one window as he shucked off his backpack and detached the canteen he’d had hooked to the side of his bag. Kylo took it from him in silence, tipping the contents into the pot. 

“What are you trying to make?” Hux asked. “There’s nothing here.”

“Stone soup.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Kylo said, shaking his head. “I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

He settled himself cross legged on the ground, holding out his hands to the small flame. He looked up to find Hux staring at him, arms wrapped tightly around himself. 

“You should take your jacket off. You’re not going to warm up otherwise.”

Hux frowned, his fingers fumbling with the jacket’s zipper before he cast it to the ground. He stood shivering, running his arms over his shirt sleeves. 

“Come down here,” Kylo said, hands still held out to the small flame. “You can warm your hands at least.”

Hux hunkered down on the far side of the small burner, the frown still creasing his forehead as he held out his hands to the small flame. His mouth was pinched tight, so Kylo watched the bubbles start to appear on the water, waiting until they were rising in sufficient number that he deemed the water heated. 

He poured the almost hot water into a tin cup, after carefully dusting it twice for Hux’s approval, then took a sip. Flavourless warm water was never going to be pleasant, but he could feel the warmth of it spreading thought him, and was grateful for that much. He passed the cup carefully to Hux, his own mouth pinching into a line as Hux carefully took the cup with enough deliberate care that he took it without touching Kylo’s hand. 

“Really?”

“What?” Hux said, turning the cup in his hands so he could drink from the opposite side that Kylo had drunk from. 

“Are you still that pissed with me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hux muttered, pretending to blow steam from the water and sipping it carefully. 

He handed it back across to Kylo, jumping when Kylo engulfed cup and Hux’s hand both with his own. 

“You won’t look at me. You won’t touch me. I get the impression you’d rather be out in that storm now than be here with me.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Hux said, hunching himself further in on himself as he tried to pull his hand free.

“Just tell me what’s wrong!”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. Tell me.”

“It’s.. it’s not-”

“Tell me!”

“It’s not like you fucking care anyway!”

Kylo’s mouth dropped open, and he sat upright, releasing Hux’s hand from his grip. Hux looked at the tin cup and set it down between them. Kylo felt long moments tick by as he watched Hux before he was able to snap his jaw shut, feeling his teeth grinding. 

“Why would you think I don’t care?”

“It’s nothing, it’s stupid,” Hux said, swiping a hand through his hair. “Doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does,” Kylo replied, terse. 

Hux shook his head, but didn’t say anything more. Kylo watched him, crouched on the far side of the sputtering camp stove, folded in on himself but not willing to sit on the ground and get dirt on his damp spotted trousers. Kylo’s forehead creased as he let his annoyance fester. Hux was always so particular, things had to be done in a certain way, at a certain time or-

“This is because of last week, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Last week. When you had a movie night arranged and I cancelled to go on that tinder date. You’ve been pissed with me since then.”

“What are you even talking about?” Hux replied, but Kylo could see the telltale flush that was creeping into his cheeks. Hux often cursed his pale complexion, but right now it was Kylo’s best ally. 

“Why did that even annoy you?”

Hux said nothing, turning his face away. 

“What am I not supposed to date now? I thought at least one of us should get lucky.”

Hux’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowed. His cheeks were fully flushed. 

“That was fucking low.”

“Hux, I-”

Between them, the camp stove guttered and went out. Kylo reached out to turn off the dial, shaking the can as he did; empty. He looked around the cabin, at the tiny window which was whited out with the blizzard outside. Hux’s renewed shivering brought his attention back to the moment. 

“Do you have a sleeping bag in that backpack?”

“Yeah, but... No.”

“I know it’s the last thing you want-”

“Absolutely not.”

“If we don’t we’re going to freeze to death. Is that what you want? Are you that pissed off with me that you’d rather we both die?”

The silence stretched heavy between them. Hux didn’t move from his crouch. Kylo still sat opposite him, trying to remain calm. 

“You’re being melodramatic. It’s not that bad.”

Kylo shoved a hand through his hair, grimacing as he realised he’d just swept greasy dirt through it. 

“Ok, yeah, maybe.. but it’d be a hell of a lot more pleasant to pass the time here if we’re both not shivering.”

Hux said nothing, but unfolded from his crouch and reached over to the bag to carefully unbuckle it. He set the contents aside in his usual fastidious manner until he reached the sleeping bag. He handed it over to Kylo and began to repack; toiletries, kindle and charger. All sorts of things that were utterly useless right now. Kylo checked the tag on the bag; it was rated for much milder weather than this, but with their combined bodies and the fact that they were both indoors, sort of, he hoped it would be enough. 

He spread the sleeping bag out on the old cot, trying to ignore the musty smell that rose as he manhandled it into position. He was grateful that the sleeping bag was of an older style, not one of the narrow types. It was still small enough that he didn’t think they’d both fit into it easily, not when Hux flinched away every time Kylo so much as moved towards him. But this would have to be enough. 

Kylo sat on his hunkers beside the cot. There really wasn’t much else to do. The light outside was almost gone with how the snow clung to the windows, and he didn’t feel like letting what little air they’d warmed out to check if the blizzard was all that bad or not. Even if it wasn’t, they couldn’t afford to get even further lost wandering around in the woods. So that left… 

“Do you want to lie down?”

Hux frowned. “It’s not even 6pm.”

“Yes,” Kylo said, becoming frustrated. “But I was thinking about keeping warm, not about getting some sleep.”

Hux looked about the small room, and Kylo watched as his attention flittered over the same things his had, coming to the same inevitable conclusion. Kylo stood up, turning back a corner of the bag and climbing in. He shuffled as far back as he could, feeling the hard edge of the cot against his hip before catching the sleeping bag in at his back as well as he could and waiting for Hux to join him. 

Hux was staring at the ground, fingers twisting in the handle of this backpack like it was his safety blanket. His jaw was moving slightly as he chewed over his thoughts, but sooner than Kylo expected he stood up and moved towards the bed. 

Kylo tried to shuffle back, even though he knew he couldn’t make any more room for Hux. He lay with one arm as his pillow, the other resting on his hip as Hux stared down at him. Kylo rolled his eyes when Hux turned his back to climb carefully in, trying to leave space between them so he wouldn’t have to touch Kylo at all. He fussed for some time there, trying to pull the sleeping bag to wrap around himself, fisting his hands at the edges and trying to pull it tight under his chin. But it wasn’t enough to stop his shivering. 

Kylo made a slow count of three hundred in his head, by his guess that was just enough time for Hux to admit to himself how cold he was, before he reached under the sleeping bag, hooked his arm around Hux’s waist and pulled him tight against his own chest. Hux squawked as he was hauled backwards, body going rigid under Kylo’s grip. 

“Stop it,” Kylo muttered against his ear. “This is only for warmth, and it’s not going to help if you kick the blankets off in a hissy fit.”

“It’s a sleeping bag,” Hux corrected, pulling the zippered edge tight under his chin again. He still held himself wooden, but at least he wasn’t fighting to get away. 

It was a little warmer here, with Hux’s body curling resentfully away from him as much as Kylo’s arm would allow. In time, Kylo could feel his shiverings ease, the warmth under the sleeping bag warming them both. They lay in silence, the sounds of their breath smothered by the snow building up outside. There was nothing to do but focus on his own thoughts as he watched the light in the room gradually dim. 

Kylo began to drift, not quite falling asleep, but letting his mind wander until he lost minutes at a time. Each time he came back he saw Hux’s hair only centimetres from his face, and he’d frown at it, conscious of the feel of Hux in his arms. He felt the contrast building up in him as a kind of restlessness, one he couldn’t fully satisfy in this tiny, cold room. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finally gave voice to it. 

“Are you going to tell me yet why you were mad at me?”

The small bit of ease that had crept into Hux’s limbs vanished in an instant, turning his body rigid against Kylo once more. 

“That a no?”

Hux didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. If it wasn’t for the fact that Kylo was holding Hux against him, he wouldn’t have been sure he was breathing either. 

“What I said earlier…” he started again, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Hux’s ribcage rose and fell gently. 

“I mean it,” Kylo said. “That was… that was cruel of me.”

“Apology accepted,” Hux muttered. “Now will you please stop talking?”

Kylo blinked at the back of Hux’s head. He’d only been trying to make amends, but well, if that was how he was going to act. Fine. It didn’t bother him. 

He shuffled briefly, which only served to remind himself of how uncomfortable the camp bed was and how little room there was to move. His still booted feet hung over the bar at the end, sticking out from the fully opened sleeping bag. He gave up trying to get comfortable when he could feel Hux tensing up further; he didn’t want to be snapped at again. 

Time passed even more slowly after that, Kylo blinking dully into a room that was almost fully dark now. He tried taking out his phone a couple of times, to Hux’s huffed annoyance, but despite blinding himself in the stark light of it’s screen, it seemed to deny it had ever heard of such a thing as network coverage. Kylo put it away each time reluctantly, hoping for a minor miracle but not wanting to run down its battery to use it as a torch. 

In between these disturbances, Hux slept. Kylo only knew that because at several points during the solid darkness, he felt Hux actually relax against him. His body would become heavy, and he leaned back against Kylo, becoming soft in his touch. Kylo entertained the idea for a moment that it really was what Hux wanted, and moved his arm from his own side to Hux’s, only to feel Hux startle awake, body turning rigid and moving incrementally away from Kylo. Kylo whipped his hand back, ready to deny the attempt he’d just made. 

“Did you-?”

“Huh…” Kylo muttered, hoping he sounded convincingly sleepy.

“Never mind.”

Kylo held his breath for a long time, breathing shallow as he waited for Hux to go limp and heavy against him again before he dared to relax. He tried closing his eyes, but the quality of the darkness behind his eyelids was no different from the room, so he opened them again, trying to shuffle as close as he could to Hux without waking him. 

“I wish I could talk to you,” he whispered, his voice barely louder than his breathing. 

He waited to see if Hux gave any reaction, but there was nothing more than the movement of his chest, so Kylo continued. 

“If I didn’t know better,” he whispered, fingertips drawing circles in the hem of his hoodie, pretending it was Hux’s sleeve, “I’d think you were jealous. Of me. Of my dates. And that’s why you were pissed about my cancelling on you last Friday.”

Hux was close enough in Kylo’s arms now that he could smell the apple shampoo that Hux used with every inhale. Unable to resist, he pressed his nose against the shorter hairs at the base of his skull, nuzzling them. Hux stirred, but stayed heavy against Kylo’s chest. It was so easy to talk like this, to be able to confess to the emptiness of the hut. 

“I wish you’d tell me, because then I’d be able to tell you that you shouldn’t be. Jealous I mean. They’re nothing compared to you.”

Kylo could feel tears prickle in his eyes, and sniffed the scent of apples until his eyes dried again. 

“I guess I like to talk like I’m some sort of big hit, but I’ve walked away from every one of those dates before anything happened. Because none of them were you.”

Hux’s body rose and fell under the shared blanket, his hair moving slightly against Kylo’s nose. Kylo doubted he’d ever be brave enough to repeat what he’d said in daylight, never mind with a Hux that was awake and watching him with sharp, judgemental eyes. That he’d said it here would have to be enough. 

Kylo pulled back and rubbed his nose, but not quite dislodging the apple scent. He tried closing his eyes again, and this time, he slept.

* * *

Kylo blinked gummy eyes open, lifting his arm to rub at his face. He felt chilled to the bone and for a moment couldn’t remember where he was or what had woken him. The sound came again, a rhythmic scraping that sounded half familiar. It was only when something hit against the door that he recalled the sound - snow shovel!

Gently he shook Hux’s shoulder, trying to wake him. Hux groaned, rubbing his face against his folded arm. 

“Hux,” he said, “rescue is here.”

Hux groaned again, and Kylo sighed and started to shuffle down the camp bed to climb out the end. It wasn’t an easy task. The barely adequate sleeping arrangements had left him stiff and sore, and every part of his body protested as he tried to move. The camp bed protested too, almost tipping on end when Kylo sat at the bottom edge before levering himself upright. Hux yelled as the bed started to tip up before slamming back down. But hey, Kylo reasoned, at least he was awake now. 

“I heard something.”

That was either Rey or Phasma, Kylo was sure of it. He chaffed his arms, then took hold of the hut’s door, trying to pull it open as someone pushed at it from the outside. The door shifted slowly, squeaking across the floor until finally it was open enough for Poe to stick his head in. 

“They’re here,” he called back even as he pulled himself in the jap. “They’re ok!” he said as he wrapped Kylo in a bear hug. 

“Oh thank goodness,” Rey said as she squeezed inside next. Poe released him for Rey to wrap herself around. She let go of Kylo, only to thump him in the arm. “Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?”

“Ow,” Kylo said, rubbing his already sore arm. “I’m sorry?”

“So you should be,” she said, standing with hands on hips as the door inched further open for Phasma and Finn to enter behind her. 

The cabin was crowded now and tiny with so many people in it. Kylo nodded to Phasma, reaching out to Finn to grasp his hand. 

“I’m sorry man,” Finn said. “But when the snow started coming down, we didn’t know where you two had gotten to. I didn’t want this lot getting lost in the snow too.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kylo said, though some part of him resented the comfortable night the others had had, while he’d had an alternatively rigid and soft Hux lying next to him. “It’s ok.”

“We’ve been looking for you since first light,” he continued. “It was Poe that found the cabin, and well…”

“Well, now we know you’re safe,” Rey said. 

Kylo smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to Rey’s forehead. 

“Well now,” Hux’s voice cut through, “this is all very heart-warming, but perhaps we could get back to some kind of civilisation now?”

They turned to look at him, where he was rolling the sleeping bag up to be repacked, looking tired and pale and hair messed from sleep. 

“C’mon,” Phasma said, taking the sleeping bag from his hand and picking up his backpack. “Let’s go make you human again.”

“I want coffee,” Hux muttered as he exited the hut. 

“I know,” Phasma replied, “that’s what I meant.”

Their voices carried a little, but soon were lost as they moved away. 

“Do you need a hand here, or…?” Poe asked. 

“Nah, I’m good mate, I don’t have anything,” Kylo replied, looking about the small hut. It had saved their lives last night, giving them shelter that meant they didn’t have to stay out in the snow. 

Poe and Finn left as he looked around, leaving just Rey watching Kylo when his gaze fell on the little battered gas burner. 

“What happened between you too?” she asked, pulling his attention away from it at last. 

“Nothing,” he said, smiling sadly. 

Rey returned his expression. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Me too.”

* * *

By the time Kylo made it back to the cabin, the one with such miracles as electricity, running water and underfloor heating, Hux was already on his second mug of coffee, and by the teasing tone in Phasma’s voice, had returned to some semblance of reasonable. He had claimed one of the cabin’s large sofa chairs, one leg slung up over the arm, facing Phasma who sat cross legged on the floor in front of the coffee table. He barely turned to acknowledge Kylo’s arrival. 

Kylo told himself he was content to ignore him too as he slumped on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter, gratefully wrapping his hands around the well-sugared cup of coffee Rey pressed into his hands before joining Finn and Poe in preparing the mother of all breakfasts. He watched as plates were heaped high with waffles and pancakes, bowls filled with fresh fruit that were laid out beside cream and maple syrup, a variety of breakfast meats, sunny side up eggs and fresh toast. Kylo’s mouth watered even as his head nodded. 

At Rey’s insistence, he finally slid off the stool and took a seat on the couch beside her. Everything had been moved to the low coffee table rather than the dining table, the others too relieved at having gotten Kylo and Hux back to want to sit very far away from them. 

Kylo’s appetite rewoke at the first bite of waffle, and Poe could barely keep up as he passed plates to him to select from. Even Rey left off her usual teasing of his monster appetite, smiling and offering him a napkin when cream smeared on his lip. He smiled at her in return, and tried to slow down after that, listening to the others as they asked about what had happened to them, and what it had been like for them to be left waiting in the cabin. 

Kylo glanced over at Hux in time to catch the flash of a sardonic expression twist his lips, but he said nothing as he speared another piece of fruit and nibbled at it. Since the meal began he hadn’t looked over at Kylo once, leaving Kylo to tell their story without any input of his own, even during the many times Kylo had glanced his way. 

When breakfast was over, with no one even picking over the remnants, Rey put a hand on Kylo’s knee. 

“What do you want to do?”

“Hmm?” he asked, head feeling foggy. 

“Do you want to do anything now? Go for a walk?”

“You could try the hot tub if you don’t mind the snow,” Poe suggested giggling at the glare he got. 

“Nothing,” Kylo said with a heavy sigh, “I don’t want to do anything right now.”

Rey squeezed his knee and took his place from him, beginning the clean up of the dishes. She waved him down when he tried to stand up to help, sinking back into the cushions and staring up at the ceiling as the others moved around him. His head shot up when Rey and Finn bounced down beside him. He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to try and shake off some of his tiredness. 

“Hey, since you don’t want to go anywhere, you ok with watching some movies?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said. Belly full, warm now, he could feel himself nodding off again already. He wasn’t sure he’d make it even through one movie. 

Finn set up the DVD player, and soon the room was drowned in blue light as the first bars of his and Rey’s favourite sci-fi film started playing. Kylo had seen it often enough when he’d babysat Rey when she was younger that he knew the plot as well as she did, but he tried his best to pay attention. 

It wasn’t until he heard voices gently calling his name that he stirred, lifting his head from Finn’s shoulder. 

“You ok, mate?” Poe asked, smiling at him . 

“Yeah, fine,” Kylo replied. “Did I miss much?”

“Only the entire movie,” Rey replied. “You slumped onto Finn’s shoulder and we didn’t really want to disturb you.”

Kylo glanced over at Hux, only to find him also asleep in his chair, a blanket laid over him. 

“I’m fine…”

“Kylo, mate, you’ve had a hard night, are you sure you don’t want to just go and rest up?”

Kylo swallowed the desire to glance at Hux again. For a moment he thought about toughing it out and fighting off the tiredness, but his shoulders slumped. 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I imagine you didn’t get much sleep last night, what with- oof, what?”

Rey glared at Finn as he rubbed his arm. Kylo smiled wryly. 

“Yeah, that.”

He stood up and stretched, and Finn shut off the DVD. 

“We can go out for a walk while you’re having a rest, make sure it’s quiet around here for you.”

“Yeah, and at least this time we’ll know where you are.”

Kylo got up and stretched, beginning to shuffle towards the room Finn pointed him too as the others began to fetch their coats. Behind him, Kylo could hear Phasma stirring Hux to move him into a proper bed; she was the only one of them brave enough to do so. Kylo pulled the door of his bedroom behind him, taking in the large bed piled high with heavy blankets, and his own backpack left standing against the room’s dresser. 

He glanced into the ensuite, and the sight of the toiletries lining the shower shelf decided him. He left a trail of clothes behind him as he started the water and stepped into the shower stall, hissing as the too hot water hit his skin. He didn’t want to stay in the shower for long, not with the lure of the bed nearby, but it was wonderful to stand in the warmth, letting the steam rise up and ease out the soreness in his muscles. He turned his face into the spray, standing there for long moments and letting his mind run blank. 

The sensation was ruined when memories of last night started bubbling up in his mind. He could forget about his midnight confession, the fear that Hux had heard him, and the small, fragile hope that he had. But given how Hux had been acting since their rescue, it seemed he was just as pissed off at Kylo as ever. He reached for the shampoo and roughly washed his hair, wishing he could send the uncomfortable thoughts down the plughole just as easily. He emerged from the shower and toweled himself down, before retrieving his t-shirt and leggings from his bag to dress and crawl into bed.

This was far more comfortable than the previous night had been, he thought as he stretched out. A double bed, plenty of heavy blankets, and not a care in the world. Kylo turned his head, catching a whiff of apple shampoo. For a moment his stomach dropped, maybe- Then he felt the dampness against his cheek from his own still damp hair. He rolled over, shaking his head to keep his hair behind him. He thumped the pillow a couple of times, then lay down with a huff. 

He’d almost dozed off when the door creaked open, and someone stepped inside. He sat up, but the door was closed again quickly, and the heavy curtains he pulled across the bedroom window admitted very little light. Kylo reached to the side table and turned on the light, looking back towards the door to see Hux standing there, in his sleep t-shirt and shorts, looking haughty in that way he had when he was unsure of himself. 

“Hux?,” Kylo asked, “what’s up?”

“I, um… everyone else is gone.”

“Yeah, they went out for a walk, let us get some rest after last night.”

“Oh.”

Hux staying there, shifting his weight slightly between his feet, and Kylo shuffled up in bed until he was sitting against the headboard. He watched Hux until it was clear that Hux wasn’t going to break the silence. 

“That’s not why you’re here.”

The skin between Hux’s eyebrows pinched. 

“No.”

Kylo waited again. 

“Gonna give me a hint?”

The pinch deepened, and Hux’s mouth twisted, like Kylo was making him do something unpalatable. But he still didn’t say anything. 

“Right, well,” Kylo said, “I’m tired, so you can let me know when you’ve decided to talk ok? Ok.”

He turned off the light and lay back down, expecting to hear the door open again. Instead he heard Hux’s bare feet move across the floorboards, but it wasn’t to leave. He felt the covers at his back lift, and the mattress depress with the weight of Hux’s body. He felt suddenly, starkly awake, body tense, afraid to move as Hux curled up behind him.

“Hux?” Kylo ventured, starting to lift his head. 

Like lightning Hux’s fingers were against his temple, shielding his eyes and gently pressing his head back down into the pillow. 

“I thought it might be easier if I wasn’t looking at you. Like it seemed to be for you last night?”

“Last ni-”

Cold terror flushed through Kylo. 

“You… ah, you were awake?”

“For some of it.”

“And you pretended to be asleep.”

“I wanted to know what else you’d say.”

Kylo licked his lips. His whole mouth seemed suddenly too dry. 

“Which parts exactly-”

“Was it true, what you said about your dates?”

Kylo could feel his heartbeat thundering in his ears, and when he spoke, he wasn’t entirely sure it was audible to anyone but himself. 

“Every word.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

More than anything Kylo wanted to turn around, but Hux was here and talking to him. 

“Why didn’t you?”

Kylo huffed as he felt Hux’s fist land heavy against his ribs. Hux left it where it fell. 

“I thought you were a player.”

Kylo snorted. “You wouldn't say that if you saw how awkward I am on a date.”

“You’ll have to show me.”

Kylo blinked at the darkness and blinked again. 

“A date? As in a date date?” he asked. It was a minor miracle that his voice didn’t tremble as much as his whole body felt like. 

“I guess so.”

“Not a movie night. A date.”

He felt Hux’s huff of breath against his back. 

“Yes Kylo, a proper date.”

Kylo could have punched the air, could have gotten up and screamed for joy. But that would have meant moving away from Hux and nothing short of a natural disaster - another natural disaster could have done that. Instead he reigned in his excitement, and asked;

“I would very much like to kiss you right now.”

“You’d have to turn around for that.”

Kylo hesitated until he felt Hux push at him. 

“Turn over you idiot.”

Kylo rolled over, fighting with the heavy covers until he was facing Hux across the pillows. He reached out until he found Hux’s hand, gently stroking his fingers over Hux’s. In response Hux’s feet quested towards his, tangling them together at the ankles. 

Hux’s face was turned down a little, as if he was watching the play of their fingers together in the darkness under the covers. Kylo simply watched the shape of his face in the dim light. He couldn’t blame Hux for being nervous, he felt like his own heart was about to fly from his chest. 

“Hey,” he whispered. 

“Hey,” Hux whispered back as he adjusted his head on the pillow to look at Kylo, a smile at the corners of his mouth that Kylo was just able out. 

Kylo pulled one of his hands free from Hux, gently brushing back the hair that had fallen across Hux’s forehead. He turned it into an excuse to gently touch Hux’s skin, brushing his knuckles across Hux’s cheek, feeling the corner of his mouth, the edge of his jaw. He left his hand there to guide him as he slowly leaned across, feeling Hux tilt his head up to meet him. 

The first touch of Hux’s lips was so, so soft. Kylo still felt his were too dry and tried to lick them, succeeding mostly in licking Hux’s, though he shivered to hear the moan that produced. Kylo slid his hand into Hux’s hair to cradle his head, shuffling closer to him in the bed. He felt Hux’s hands twist into his t-shirt as he deepened the kiss, lapping at Hux’s lips again. He nipped at Hux’s lips and on hearing the deeper moan that produced, found himself rolling towards Hux, attempting to press him down into the mattress. 

“No,” he said, breaking the kiss with reluctance. Hux’s lips were very definitely too tempting, and he kissed him several more times before attempting to stop again. 

“No, hold on, wait.”

He breathed hard for a moment, closing his eyes to summon the self control that wanted to scatter at the feel of the long line of Hux’s body pressed against his. 

“You… don’t want to do this?” Hux asked, his fingers loosening in Kylo’s t-shirt, but still playing idly with the fabric. 

“I do,” Kylo said, emphasising his point with another quick kiss, delivered to the corner of Hux’s mouth. “Oh fuck, I really do… but…”

“But?”

“Hux, I’ve wanted this for months,” Kylo said, reaching forward with the thumb that was cradling Hux’s head so he could stroke his cheek. “I don’t want to rush things, and ruin them now that I have you.”

“Hmm,” Kylo heard Hux say. He would have given anything in that moment to have left his bedside light on so he could see Hux’s face, to have an inkling of what was going on in his head right now. 

“So, the plan now is that you just… roll back over and lie down and go to sleep with me lying here beside you?” Kylo felt Hux’s hand pat against his chest. He grinned, feeling Hux’s sarcasm rolling off him in waves. “Let me know how that works out for you.”

Hux’s last word was cut off as Kylo claimed his lips again, biting and teasing them until he was sure they were swollen and sensitive. Hux tangled both of his hands in Kylo’s hair, tugging at it to encourage him when Kylo thought to back off. 

Kylo slipped his leg between Hux’s, pulling them flush together so Kylo could be in no doubt of Hux’s enthusiasm. They began to rut against each other, chasing friction against the slip of the sheets until their kisses were interspersed as much with panting as the slip of their lips against each other allowed. Hux whined to Kylo’s groan; he knew it wasn’t enough. 

Reaching down between them, Kylo caressed Hux’s cock, feeling the shape of him through his shorts. Hux gasped at his touch, body all but trembling as Kylo felt the shape of him, thumbing at the wet spot on the fabric. 

“Kylo…”

The word was barely a breathy whisper, but Kylo took it for request, permission, begging all in one, and released his hold on Hux only to ease his hand under the waistband of Hux’s shorts. They both gasped, a sudden sharp intake of the other’s breath as Kylo’s hand touched Hux’s bare skin. Hux mewled as Kylo began to move his hand on him, discovered when he went to kiss him that he had bitten his own lip as Kylo caressed him. 

Kylo lapped at Hux’s bitten lip, encouraging him to kiss him back, swallowing all his moans and whimpers as Kylo began to map those touches that brought him the most pleasure. 

“I wish I could see you like this,” Kylo whispered against Hux’s lips as Hux’s hips began to move, thrusting into Kylo’s grip. 

“Next time,” Hux breathed, pulling Kylo as close to him as he could. 

Kylo shuddered at Hux’s words. Next time. Of course there’d be a next time, this would only be their first time together, the first of many he hoped, he wanted. And he wanted to be closer to Hux. 

Kylo released Hux, kissing away his noises of protest as he pulled at Hux’s waistband. Hux quickly got the idea and tried to help, both of them fumbling one handed until they were pulled down past Hux’s hips. Hux’s cock freed, Kylo quickly yanked at his own leggings, tugging them down just enough, so when he pressed himself up against Hux again it was to feel his skin touching Hux’s. 

When he wrapped his hand around them both, Hux gasped and went almost completely pliant as Kylo began to stroke them together. Kylo moved his attentions to Hux’s neck, laying a line of kisses down his neck to his collarbone before Hux recovered, and an urgent hand in Kylo’s hair pulled him back to Hux’s lips. 

Hux wrapped both of his legs around Kylo’s leg, desperately trying to pull him closer as Kylo’s hand began to move faster. They were barely able to snatch kisses between panting now, Hux scrambling at Kylo’s back, nails clawing at his t-shirt to keep him close, Kylo trying to move his hand as best he could while keeping the closeness that Hux was so desperate for. 

“I… Kylo, I….”

Kylo gave a burst of speed to his arm, thrusting his tongue into Hux’s mouth and swallowing Hux’s gasp as his cock started to pulse in Kylo’s hand, and he came over Kylo’s hand and his own stomach. He released him a moment later, feeling Hux still clinging to him, panting against his cheek as he rode out his orgasm. 

“Next time,” Kylo panted, releasing Hux’s oversensitive cock now, hand moving rapidly over his own cock, “next time I’ll watch you… watch you come apart.”

“Yes…” Hux whispered in return, breathing hot against Kylo’s ear.

“I want to see it… I want to hear you…”

“I want to have you inside me.”

Kylo’s vision whited out as he came, cock pulsing in his now still hand, come pooling against Hux’s skin with his own spend. He moved his hand slowly, milking himself as he curled into Hux, willing his lungs to take in enough air. He slowly came around to the feeling of Hux’s hands in his hair, combing through it. 

“Did… did you?” he started, unsure what he was asking. 

“Did I say I wanted you to fuck me?” Hux asked, voice far steadier than Kylo’s. “In a manner of speaking.”

Kylo lifted his head, kissing his way along Hux’s skin until he found his way back to Hux’s lips. Their kisses were more languid this time, both of them sated and content, but Kylo could taste the fire that still lingered there that had only just started to burn. 

“When do we start?” Kylo asked, knowing he was grinning like an idiot. 

Hux shoved his shoulder, a move that failed to move Kylo away from him so much as an inch. 

“We really ought to clean up this round first,” he said, reminding Kylo of the cooling mess between them. 

He let go of Hux long enough to pull off his t-shirt, using it to wipe up as much of their spend as he could from Hux’s skin, cleaning him gently before helping him to pull his shorts back into place. He gave himself a cursory clean with the t-shirt before tossing it off the bed, and shuffling to a cooler patch of bed that had no damp spot. He pulled Hux after him, smirking to feel Hux’s hands contact and spread out over his broad chest. 

“And why wasn’t this on display earlier?”

“I didn’t get to see your best features, you don’t get to see mine.”

“My dick, while marvelous, is not my best feature.”

“No,” Kylo said, leaning to press a kiss to Hux’s nose, “but I didn’t get to see how beautiful you were when you came.”

A beat of silence followed, in which Kylo could hear Hux sniff, long enough for him to just start to worry…

“Are you always this insufferably sweet after sex, Ren?”

Kylo grinned as he lay onto his back, arranging Hux so he was lying half on top of him. Hux settled quickly, resting his head against Kylo’s shoulder and twineing his leg with Kylo’s. 

“Only with you,” Kylo said, turning his head to rest against Hux’s head and breathing in the scent of apples.


End file.
